Uber assault NYT article

[Anonymous]

I’m not sure how I feel about this

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/06/business/uber-sexual-assault.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

I mean, you are getting into a strangers car, not even an employee of uber — that’s how gig ride sharing works.

But they did concede that 3/4 of the 400k reports were “less series” — harassment like lewd comments, flirting, etc. at same time, people are so worried about hurting their uber rating, to actually report something is must have been pretty awful — wonder how much goes unreported because of protection of 5 stars.

100k assaults out of millions of rides may be a small percentage; I’m curious how it compares to statistics do traditional cabs before uber? But also I wonder if Uber’s ubiquity and ease of use has increased usage far above the taxi baseline from before?

One of the stories is about a drunk woman taken to a hotel room; probably she was raped, but maybe she seemed receptive in her inebriated state? Getting into a cab alone while black out drunk, I mean bad choices are bad choices. But ideally we should feel safe in an ideal world.

I don’t let teen DD take Ubers alone, but I don’t know how real the risk is, but this article doesn’t make me feel better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m not sure how I feel about this

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/06/business/uber-sexual-assault.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

I mean, you are getting into a strangers car, not even an employee of uber — that’s how gig ride sharing works.

But they did concede that 3/4 of the 400k reports were “less series” — harassment like lewd comments, flirting, etc. at same time, people are so worried about hurting their uber rating, to actually report something is must have been pretty awful — wonder how much goes unreported because of protection of 5 stars.

100k assaults out of millions of rides may be a small percentage; I’m curious how it compares to statistics do traditional cabs before uber? But also I wonder if Uber’s ubiquity and ease of use has increased usage far above the taxi baseline from before?

One of the stories is about a drunk woman taken to a hotel room; probably she was raped, but maybe she seemed receptive in her inebriated state? Getting into a cab alone while black out drunk, I mean bad choices are bad choices. But ideally we should feel safe in an ideal world.

I don’t let teen DD take Ubers alone, but I don’t know how real the risk is, but this article doesn’t make me feel better.

If she was “receptive” as you put it, she’d have invited the guy into her home. Seemed “vulnerable” is what really happened, and the criminal who raped her took advantage of that.

[Anonymous]

No one I k ow is using Uber or Lyft anymore.

[Anonymous]

We still use uber and I let my teens use it on occasion.

It just seems to me impossible that the incidence is very high. You could watch and arrest the person in two minutes—they are tracked! For me it just seems so much safer than walking to metro (could be assaulted on the way, could be grabbed by someone in metro) or even potentially walking to your car (look what happened to the DOGE guy) and certainly safer than driving drunk. The only way to stay perfectly safe is to lock yourself into a vault so it’s all about assessing comparative risks. I just can’t believe uber is riskier than alternatives.

[Anonymous]

Extreme capitalism at work. Those ride sharing companies should be forced to train them better and conduct more safety checks. It's ridiculous to hide behind their contractor status.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No one I k ow is using Uber or Lyft anymore.

What are they using instead?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one I k ow is using Uber or Lyft anymore.

What are they using instead?

Maybe cabs. Or private contractors is what we often use.

[Anonymous]

Uber is moving towards AI drivers.

“ The future of urban transportation is rapidly shifting into autonomous gear, and a recent report paints a compelling picture.

Uber's robotaxi fleet reportedly operates at a staggering 99% higher utilisation rate than human-driven vehicles, suggesting a seismic shift on the horizon.

Right now, Uber drivers are already sharing streets with robot competitors, and this situation might completely transform their jobs down the line”
https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/ubers-robotaxis-are-99-busier-human-drivers-will-take-over-major-city-centres-within-10-years-1733907